Working At Height: An Introduction To Safety & Legal Requirements

An introduction to working at height

We all think we know what ‘working at height’ is – but would you be able to define it precisely?

The reality is that this issue remains one of the single biggest factors behind deaths and major injuries at work across the UK, with common incidents including falling from ladders or through weak surfaces.

Typically, activities that might involve working at height include scaffolding, demolition, brick-laying steel erection, among others.

The statistics make for stark reading. More than a million British businesses and 10 million employees are involved in working at height each year. Devastatingly, in 2022-23 alone, 40 lives were lost due to this issue, accounting for one in three workplace deaths. Meanwhile, there were 5,000 recorded injuries, although the actual figure could potentially be much higher.

How high is too high?

It’s often believed that ‘working at height’ begins at about 2m or higher. But, in fact, that isn’t the case. According to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), it can be anywhere where:

“if there were no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury”.

An example could be someone falling through a roof. Equally, working at height could mean working close to a hole in the ground or at ground level near another opening or fragile surface.

What’s the relevant legislation?

The key piece of law is The Work at Height Regulations 2005, which brought together previous legislation on this issue and incorporated an EU directive. In the same year, a British Standard was launched as back-up for these regulations, along with a code of practice.

Meanwhile, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 outline the risk assessments which must be completed.

What should employers do?

Perhaps the first thing to stress is that you should always avoid working at height where it is possible to do so, and to work from the ground as much as you can. Where operating at height is unavoidable, you’ll need to be sure you have the right equipment on site, alongside appropriate supervision, and know how to use equipment properly. Alternatively, aim to work somewhere you have worked before, and which you know to be safe.

Relevant equipment could include anything from scaffolding to guardrails and safety harnesses.

What are the main causes of accidents at height?

There are many possible factors behind these, from workers whose health is not robust enough to poor planning, failure to follow procedure, or equipment that is either not up to the job or outdated or faulty.

Working at height training

Another of the most common reasons behind accidents from height is where workers have either been trained badly or not at all. This means someone won’t understand the dangers involved, the right precautions to follow, how to use relevant equipment safely, or what to do if something goes wrong.

A training course is the best way of ensuring your knowledge and skills follow industry standards.

At Pragmatic Consulting, we specialise in training in the construction and utilities industries. Our one-day Energy and Utility Skills Register (EUSR)-endorsed Working at Height and Harness Awareness course gives attendees a detailed understanding of safe working at height and correct use of equipment.